


Bit by Bit

by lea_hazel



Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: 5 Things, Alternate Universe, Challenge Response, Character Death Fix, Community: 5thingsthat, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Same-Sex Marriage, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-04-28
Updated: 2006-04-28
Packaged: 2017-12-27 12:36:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/978956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lea_hazel/pseuds/lea_hazel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Revelation, confession and rediscovery, five things that Lilly Kane never got to do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bit by Bit

  
I: Rum and Coke

“Hey, Lilly, how’s things going? Having fun?” Shelley Pomeroy walked towards her, arms reaching out and footsteps unsure. She half-tripped on her own bare feet and almost went flying before Lilly grabbed her arm, holding it until she managed to plop down on a nearby sofa’s armrest.

“I’m cool, Shelley. Hey, have you seen Veronica?”

“Um...” said Shelley, “I think she went that way with some of the boys.” She waved her arm loosely to her left.

“Cool,” said Lilly, feeling nervous. “Did you notice which ones?”

“Dick and Logan were there, and maybe a couple of the others,” said Shelley. “Hey, what do you think of Dick? He’s kind of cute, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he’s adorable,” said Lilly distractedly, getting up to leave. “Watch out, there,” she added, as Shelley stood up unsteadily.

“Thanks, Lilly! You know, you’re really cool, not like the other seniors said.”

Lilly spared a split second to wonder what her classmates were saying about her when she turned her back, as she pushed her way through the semi-conscious ground floor crowd. At the foot of the stairs, she saw Dick chasing Madison down the second floor hall, while a wobbly Veronica disappeared into one of the guest bedrooms, her arm draped over some boy’s shoulder.

She didn’t stop to think, but raced up the stairs as fast as she could in six inch stilettos, only to find Dick’s kid brother shutting the door of the guestroom behind him.

“Lilly!” he said, looking at her uncomfortably. “It’s a good thing you’re here. Veronica was getting sleepy, so Shelley said she could lie down in one of the spare rooms. Um, I think she had too much to drink. Veronica, not Shelley. Well, Shelley too, come to think –“

“Beaver,” said Lilly quietly, “shut it.”

He walked away without another word, and Lilly went into the room and shut the door behind her.

Veronica was sprawled unevenly on the bedspread, her white dress riding up on one side and her sandals dumped on the floor beside the bed. She was sleeping heavily, and Lilly thought she might not be just drunk. Veronica had never been much of a drinker, after all, and she’d had trials getting her to even sip a single rum and coke.

She looked a bit like Lilly had felt that night last year, after she’d taken special K with Logan and they’d both passed out in his living room. Mr. Echolls had found them the next morning, glaring at Logan like looks could kill but giving her a weird smile. Her head was pounding so hard and she felt so much like barfing, she didn’t even think about it when Mrs. Echolls offered to drive her home. She’d even backed her up when Lilly told dad and Celeste that she and Logan had fallen asleep watching videos. Mrs. Echolls liked Lilly, God knows why.

Lilly shook her head. It didn’t matter what stupid thing Veronica had taken. She’d be sleeping like the dead all night, and Lilly couldn’t leave her unwatched. Taking off her shoes with a happy sigh, she left them next to Veronica’s and climbed, barefoot, on the bed. She curled her legs under her and just sat there, watching Veronica’s heavy breathing and the way the hair got all messy when she turned over.

She couldn’t sit still, though. Celeste always said Lilly had pins in her butt, but she just had to pull down Veronica’s skirt over her thigh, cover her with a spare blanket, and keep her loose hair from getting into her mouth as she slept. She smoothed back a last lock and sighed, wondering what Veronica might say when she woke up.

 

II: Forget the Brie

“Try the blue one,” suggested Lilly, “blue looks good on you.”

“I’ve never seen you wear this,” replied Veronica, holding up a short-sleeved tailored shirt with a high, neat collar.

“It’s for family occasions,” said Lilly. “In real company, I’m more of the cherry red type.”

Veronica grinned. “I noticed.”

“Go ahead, try it on!” urged Lilly.

“Lilly, this is ridiculous,” said Veronica, taking the shirt off its hanger, holding it up against her torso and examining the effect in Lilly’s floor-length mirror. “There’s no way in hell anything you own is going to fit me right. My boobs are too small.”

“Ooh, you said a _bad_ word,” teased Lilly. “Don’t worry about it, though. There’s no cleavage on that one. Mom has me wear it when she doesn’t want her guests to stare so much they forget their brie.”

She got up from where she was sprawling on her bed, throwing off the rumpled red sheet. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with your boobs.”

Veronica looked herself in the mirror with the blouse, half-open, resting on her shoulders. “It’s no good, Lilly. Your clothes just don’t fit my bust size.” Even though it had a high neck, the chest seams were generous enough that they left pockets of air that Veronica’s breasts just didn’t fill. With a sigh, Veronica started fiddling with the lower buttons, trying to get them open. “I wish I hadn’t buttoned these in the first place. I should’ve known it was a long shot.”

“It’s okay,” said Lilly. “We’ll find something else, something casual, not tailored. I think I still have my band T-shirts from ninth grade.”

“Great,” said Veronica. “Fantastic. I still look like a freshman when I’m supposed to be a junior. Am I going to look like a kid when I’m thirty, Lilly?”

Lilly made a face. “Chill, Veronica. You don’t look like a kid, and you definitely won’t when you’re thirty. Lots of chicks have smaller boobs. It’s not such an awful thing as guys say it is. Some guys _like_ small boobs, and even if they don’t, who needs ‘em?”

Veronica laughed half-heartedly.

“That’s better,” said Lilly, standing just behind her and smiling wickedly at her reflection. “Check yourself out, V. You’re hot stuff! What guy wouldn’t want you?”

“Duncan,” said Veronica.

And just like that, Lilly forgot Veronica and remembered Mrs. Mars. Mrs. Mars and her dad in the yearbook, and if what he said when he fought with Celeste wasn’t just to piss her off, dad and Mrs. Mars all the time, all those years they were married, right up until she split, leaving Veronica and Sheriff Mars alone. She thought of Celeste home alone and pregnant after she quit interior designing, or whatever she did before, and almost felt sorry for her.

“Lilly?”

“Sorry, V. I got lost in thought for a second,” said Lilly, trying to forget about cheating dads and half-sisters.

“Since when do you think?” said Veronica. “I thought you leave that stuff to me.”

Lilly smiled, trying to pretend she wasn’t hurt. Veronica hadn’t been the same since her mother had left, especially since Duncan wouldn’t so much as speak to her ever since Celeste told him about Mrs. Mars. He wouldn’t tell her any of it, and Lilly thought he probably didn’t want her to be thinking of all their kisses with disgust. God knows all the rest of the family did. Sunday dinners were a blast. “Try the T-shirts, Veronica,” was all she said.

She probably noticed something was wrong, though, because she changed the subject. “What color?” she asked, opening one of the drawers, finding bras in it, shutting it and opening the door just above it to reveal shelves of jeans and T-shirts.

“I told you, silly,” said Lilly. “Blue.”

“Do you _have_ any blue shirts? They’re all black!” She pulled out a Metallica shirt and held it over her bra, checking herself out in the mirror. Then she muttered something and threw the shirt on the bed.

Lilly stepped closer to her. “I told you, Veronica,” she said, holding her upper arms and gentry prying them apart. “You look _fine_ , better than fine. Your boobs are just right for your body.”

Veronica tried to move back from the mirror, but there wasn’t enough room. She turned her head back to look at Lilly, brushing her with strands of now-short hair.

Without thinking, Lilly put her right hand on Veronica’s cotton bra and said, “Just the right size.”

They looked at each other’s reflections and for a while, neither of them said anything.

 

III: Third Degree

Veronica flipped over to let her back get some sun. She was wearing the same pink bikini she wore to Ashley Banks’ pool party last year, even though she seemed to be getting sick of the color. Good thing the Kane estate had a private pool, or she wouldn’t have been able to get out of her jeans all August. Lilly, of course, was wearing a new string bikini, black, with a boy shorts bottom, and her new favorite silver shades.

“Hey, Lilly,” said Veronica, leaning her cheek on her hand, “how many boys have you been with?”

Lilly raised her eyebrows at her. “Well, I dated Casey when we were sophomores, and before that in eighth grade Luke and I were boyfriend and girlfriend... Should I go on?”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean, Lilly. How many boys have you, you know, had sex with?”

She edged back on her lounger and sat up a bit before answering, “Three.” But only if you count Mr. Echolls as a “boy”.

“Is Logan one of them?” asked Veronica.

“Jesus, V, what’s with the third degree?” demanded Lilly, sitting even farther up and ripping off her sunglasses. “I haven’t slept with any boys since Shelley’s party, okay?”

“Shelley’s party?” said Veronica. “When I—“

“When you swallowed some crap you were given and passed out cold, yeah,” said Lilly, more harshly than she’d intended.

“Lilly, I _told_ you I didn’t take anything! Someone must’ve slipped it into my drink!”

“Like, who?” asked Lilly. “Even Dick isn’t enough of a dick to do something like that. And _don’t_ say it was Logan.” Veronica was as jealous of Logan as she had a right to be, and never appeared to consider that maybe Lilly was just as jealous of Duncan, only she hid it better.

“I wasn’t going to say that,” objected Veronica sullenly. “I wasn’t even thinking it. I don’t even believe it.”

Anymore, thought Lilly, but didn’t say anything.

“Look, let’s just go inside,” said Veronica. “It’s almost six, and we can listen to those new CDs you mentioned.”

“Sure, okay,” said Lilly quietly, and started to stand.

“So are we cool?” asked Veronica.

“Yeah, we’re cool,” smiled Lilly, and reached out her hand to help her up.

They left their towels for Bernardita to collect and wash, and went into the house through the pool doors. Lilly was just stepping through the den into the hall when a clicking of heels alerted her.

“Celeste is coming,” she said to Veronica, starting to panic. Her parents had no idea that Lilly had gotten a tattoo on her hip, and she knew that if they found out, there’d be hell to pay.

“Shit,” said Veronica, as they caught sight of Celeste, in a designer silk suit and black shades, coming out of the dining room.

“Astrid, where _are_ you? I told you to put the dry cleaning away, not leave it on my bed to wrinkle!”

“Mother dear being her usual charming self,” whispered Lilly, taking a step back.

“No wonder the hired help loves her so much,” replied Veronica. “Here, let me hide you.” She wrapped an arm around Lilly’s waist, neatly hiding the tattooed heart in the crook of her elbow.

Coming down the hall, Celeste inevitably came upon the two girls. “Oh, hello, Veronica,” she started, her voice acidic, and then stopped to size up the sight of her daughter in the arms of another girl.

Lilly met her mother’s eyes in the silence that stretched taut and uncomfortable.

“Put something on, Lilly,” said Celeste finally, “you look like a calendar girl.”

“Way to go, debutante,” said Veronica as they raced up the stairs to the relative safety of Lilly’s bedroom.

“Nice job yourself, Mars,” replied Lilly. “She didn’t suspect a thing.”

“Except the obvious. Why does your mom still hate me? I thought she knew about the paternity test.”

“She does,” said Lilly with a crooked smile. “You still remind her of her husband’s ex-girlfriend.”

 

IV: High School Intellectual

Even though she hated getting up early, that morning Lilly was up at six thirty. By seven thirty she was dressed and downstairs. By eight she’d finished breakfast. By nine the car was packed, a shiny red convertible that Lilly knew would serve her just as well in Los Angeles as it had in Neptune. At ten o’clock, after she’d finished all the family goodbyes, Veronica showed up.

Lilly watched her park her little old car, leaning against the hood of the convertible, waiting.

Finally, she got out of the car and came to join her, stretching arms behind her back to brace herself against the hood. “When are you leaving?”

“Pretty much now,” said Lilly, tempted to bite her lip as Veronica was, but knowing better. She had to be the almighty goddess of nonchalance.

Veronica didn’t say anything, but scooted closer on the hood, leaning her side against Lilly’s.

“Senior year is going to be _so_ cool for you. Mine rocked. You won’t even notice I’m gone,” said Lilly.

Veronica just raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yeah, okay,” said Lilly. “I’ll miss you like hell, too.”

“You’re not going to meet some rocking new girl who doesn’t spend all her time in a darkroom, sweep her off her feet and take her on a tour of the best of the L.A. party scene?” asked Veronica.

Lilly smirked. “Wouldn’t dream of it, sugar. For one thing, how would she photograph me sunbathing in the nude and anonymously blackmail my folks with the pictures?”

“You make some good points,” said Veronica, scratching her cheek one-fingered in her best imitation of a high school intellectual.

“I’ll be home for every holiday,” added Lilly softly. “Jake practically made me sign a waiver before he forked over the tuition—“

“Which is considerable, I assume,” interjected Veronica.

“Quite,” agreed Lilly, overemphasizing her T.

Veronica smiled.

“Hey, who knows? Maybe, if you convince your dad, I’ll be able to hijack you for a weekend in the city, now and then,” suggested Lilly with her sly smile.

“I’ll have to start working on dad as soon as I get home,” remarked Veronica. “At least you’ll have time to get to know the campus yourself, before you start introducing me to it.”

“Yeah,” said Lilly, “maybe we’ll spend some time in the campus, too.”

Veronica laughed.

With only half a smile, Lilly reached over the distance to touch her face lightly. “Will you come join me, next year? We’ll start a new sorority, show ‘em how it’s done Neptune-style.”

“Ah, Lilly, but in the Mars family money _is_ an object,” Veronica reminded her, “and not one the size of the Statue of Liberty, either.”

“Well,” said Lilly matter-of-factly, “you’ll just have to kick some GPA ass and get a really hot scholarship. Or blackmail Daddy Kane some more.”

“I think I’ve squeezed enough cash out of your dad, Lilly,” said Veronica, “especially given the fact that I’m not, in fact, owed seventeen years’ worth of child support by him.”

Lilly shrugged. “Who cares? Get Celeste back for being such a bitch.”

“Don’t worry about it, Lilly,” said Veronica softly. “I’ll find the funds.”

“You better,” said Lilly, wagging a finger at her.

“You better go,” replied Veronica, pushing herself off the hood of the car. “You’ll need the time to set up your room and get oriented, before classes start.”

“As usual, you’re right,” said Lilly. “Kiss, pookie?”

Veronica leaned in to kiss her, and as she pulled back, said, “Don’t call me pookie.”

“I love you, Veronica,” said Lilly, opening the car door as slowly as she could.

“I love you, too,” replied Veronica. “Now shoo.”

 

V: Lovely This Time of Year

It was late when their flight landed, so instead of calling ahead to be picked up, or risking falling asleep on the wheel of a rental, Lilly hailed a cab. While the driver handled their luggage, she shook Veronica by the shoulder.

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” she said. “We’re almost home.”

“Lemme sleep,” said Veronica blearily, leaning against the luggage cart, her eyes shutting themselves.

“You didn’t sleep on the plane?” asked Lilly, worried.

“Flying makes me nervous,” said Veronica.

“I had no idea,” said Lilly.

Veronica shrugged. “I’ve only been on a plane once before, when I was eight. Dad took us to Maine to visit Grandma Eileen and Uncle Steve. I was terrified the whole way there, and mom had to bribe me with twinkies to get me to board the flight home.” She yawned.

“Come on, get in the cab,” said Lilly. She helped Veronica in, and followed her.

Veronica slept through most of the drive, leaning on Lilly’s shoulder, with Lilly’s arm draped over her semi-protectively. She woke briefly when a streetlight flashed through the window, and then again just as the cab driver was pulling into the huge driveway. Yawning and stretching, she grabbed her messenger bag and climbed out, only a little wobbly.

Lilly leaned over to talk to the driver while Veronica stretched again, looking at the front of the big house.

“How long do you plan on staying here?” she asked.

“Not long,” said Lilly. “Come on. It’s only eleven thirty. They’re probably still awake.” She took Veronica’s hand and they walked up to the front door.

The maid let them into the sitting room. As Lilly had predicted, Jake and Celeste were awake and alert. Jake was reading a book and drinking something in a heavy liquor glass, and he looked up with the mild interest of a man who had stopped caring about much long ago. Celeste was reading a financial magazine, and when she saw who was at the door her lipsticked mouth curled ever so slightly.

“Hello, dad, mom,” said Lilly brightly. “Look who’s home.”

Jake got up. “Welcome home, Lilly,” he said, hugging her. “How long will you be staying?”

“Oh, not long, not long,” said Lilly, in that same bright, artificial voice. “I wouldn’t want to be a burden, so I went ahead and reserved a suite at the Neptune Grande.”

“Hello, Lilly,” said Celeste, getting up with obvious resignation. “What brings you back to Neptune?”

“Introductions,” said Lilly. “We’re heading back to the city sometime next week, there’s so much work in the studio, you know, and Veronica’s editor will be frantic if we’re gone much longer than that. Editors can be so clingy.”

“Clingy?” asked Jake.

“Introductions?” asked Celeste. “Who are you introducing?”

Lilly put on a sales-girl smile and indicated Veronica with both hands. “Mom, dad, I’d like you to meet Veronica Kane, my wife.”

The room fell silent.

“Canada is _lovely_ this time of year,” added Veronica helpfully.

“I see,” said Jake. “Who was at the ceremony?”

“Just official witnesses, actually,” said Lilly. “I didn’t want to fly everyone to Ottawa, or anything. Too inconvenient. Oh, and the priest, of course. _Charming_ woman, isn’t she, Veronica?”

“Charming,” she agreed. “We’ll be having a reception, of course, for the family and all our old Neptune friends. Nothing lavish, just a small celebration for our nearest and dearest.”

“On Saturday,” said Lilly. “We’d like to have our wedding night in peace.” She smiled innocently.

“Is Mr. Mars going to find out about it like this, too?” asked Jake. “Is that where you’re going from here?”

“Oh, dad knows,” said Veronica. “He’s known since we set a date.”

“Why him?” asked Celeste. “Why him and not us?”

“Because he’s been supportive,” said Lilly simply. “He supported us all along, these last six years, and you...”

“Haven’t,” supplied Veronica.

“Definitely haven’t,” Lilly agreed, unsmiling for once.

Veronica yawned, remembering halfway through to raise her hand to her mouth.

Glancing at her, Lilly said, “Well, I suppose we ought to go. Veronica’s exhausted, and our cab is waiting outside. Ta, mother, father. We’ll be anticipating your presence Saturday night, eight PM, at Chez Robair. Kane party, of course.”  



End file.
